Sustainability Beyond Leed: Integrating Performative Delight in the Built Environment

SUSTA I N A B I LI T Y B E YO N D LEED: I N T EG R AT I N G

R PE R FO R M AT I V E E S T D E LI G H T I N R U C T H E B U I LT T U R E NVIRONMENT I N G Thomas Auer Joshua Vanwyck Erik Olsen

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and similar benchmarking systems have become a standard method for evaluating sustainability in buildings over the last 10 years. Simultaneously, sustain able design has become standard practice in many countries. Meanwhile, the U.S. Energy Information Administration continues to report that build ings are responsible for almost 50% (46.9%) of American CO2 emissions. In addition to energyrelated issues, there are many other aspects, such as a healthy environment and other aspects of indoor environmental quality, which are of relevance for a “truly sustainable” building. After more than a decade of considering sustainability in building design, it is appropriate to evaluate the results and—if necessary—reconsider or recalibrate the existing rating systems. 177 !"#$%&#'&($&)"#'*)+,-#./0+,0"1(#2*"(/3",#5*++/$&#(01"0624"$+7# more than the entire transportation sector. It is clear that our buildings consume far more energy than they need, and it is our responsibility to contribute to a reduction of this imbalance. However, simply building an &"&)178&9620&"$#./0+,0"1#,*&(#"*$#34:�$#(/($40"4.+&;#

from 10% to 25% of what is required for building operation, depending primarily on it’s lifetime and excluding the further impact of the resource extraction associated with building products. Buildings and their poor design are key contributors to carbon emissions and must be addressed. This reality has led the European Union to require that all buildings built after 2020 must achieve net zero energy, while the entire building sector must reduce carbon emissions by 90% by 2050. Unfortunately, we have designed only a handful of buildings that achieve carbon neutrality, &(5&204++7#0"#4#,&"(&#/).4"#2*"$&=$;#4$0*";#?%&# level of innovation required suggests more than incremental improve ments to current practice. The Flatiron Building in New York was one of $%)($#($&&+#%01%8)0(&#($)/2$/)&(-#./$#0$#+**:(#+0:#34(*")7#./0+,0"1;#!$# took architects several decades to explore the design potential and op portunities of steel structure. This is comparable to our current status of sustainability, leading to the clear question: how will we get there? Many standards have been proposed by both government and nongovernmental agencies to evaluate and incentivize sustainable buildings. LEED is by far the most recognized and pervasive example. However, if we continue down the path of equating sustainable design with only a LEED score, then sustainable design is destined to become a shortlived early 21st cen tury phenomenon. In order to truly succeed, sustainability has to trigger massive innovation. Looking at LEED, we recognize that it is essentially a prescriptive

Manitoba Hydro Place designed by KPMB. (7($&3#.4(&,#*"#2/))&"$#2*"($)/2$0*"#5)42$02&(;#!"#(035+06&,#$&)3(-#@AAB# Image courtesy of Gerry Kopelew. is a system in which a list of sustainable features is provided to a building designer and the features that the building 9/+6++(#4)%&2:&,#*99-#$%*) &4 tures that are incorporated, the higher the overall rating. This approach doesn’t truly challenge standard construction methods, nor is it an absolute metric for sustainabil ity. A prescriptive approach is inherently based on the current state of building de sign and therefore only creates incentives for marginal improvements. For example, $%&#@AAB#(7($&3#035+0&(#$%4$#C784(%#0"# concrete is good because it reduces the carbon footprint of the concrete (embod ied energy) through the use of recycled material. It does not, however, establish a goal for reducing embodied energy in gen 178 eral. Such a goal would encourage archi tects and engineers to rethink the building structure beyond using recycled material. There are many more examples like this, which lead to the ultimate conclusion that prescriptive tools such as LEED do not boost innovation. LEED has created momentum for sustainable design. The system has been incredibly successful and has led to the improvement of thousands of buildings. The LEED checklist is providing guidance for a sustainable building design, with the drawback that it does not boost innova

THOMAS AUER, JOSHUA VANWYCK, ERIK OLSEN R E S T R U C T U R I N G

French School—Lycée Charles de Gaulle, Damascus, tion beyond current practices, nor can it ever include “design excellence,” Syria, designed by Ateliers Lion, Paris (Design which is essential for the lifetime of a building. This raises the question of Architect), Dagher, Hanna & Partners architects sarl, Beirut (Architect of Record), Barbanel whether LEED can potentially be improved in order to avoid or minimize Liban S.A. Antélias, Beirut (MEP), GEC these disadvantages. Ingénierie, Paris (Civil Engineering); and Transsolar, Stuttgart (ClimateEngineering). Image courtesy of Adria Goula. WHAT’S HOLDING L EED B A C K ?

D*#./0+,0"1#2&)$0624$0*"#%4(#,&>&+*5&,#4(#3/2%#)&2*1"0$0*"#*)#3*3&" tum in the last ten years as LEED. The straightforward checklist, which allows not only architects, but also developers, clients and the public to quickly understand and demand certain features, has undoubtedly played a key role in its quick diffusion. This has led to a broad acceptance and 4#1)&4$&)8$%4"834):&$84>&)41)*'$%#0"#@AAB#2&)$06&,#./0+,0"1(;#A>&"# ,/)0"1#&2*"*302#)&2&((0*"-#$%&#"/3.&)#*9#2&)$06&,#./0+,0"1(#4",#(542&(# %4(#2*"$0"/&,#$*#1)*'#.7#*>&)#EFG#5&)#7&4)-#(%*'0"1#$%*"6,&"2&#$%4$# clients and developers have in the program. This branding has also led to recognition worldwide of LEED and what it stands for: green buildings and a greener world. This is unquestionably a great story of success. H"9*)$/"4$&+7-#@AAB#0(#"*$#$%&#(0+>&)#./++&$#9*)#&"&)178&9620&"$# sustainable buildings. Despite the incredible growth, the energy improve 3&"$(#*9#2&)$06&,#./0+,0"1(#4)&#/",&)#I/&($0*";#J#545&)#.7#D&'(%43-# Mancini and Birt1 examines in depth whether LEED buildings actually 179 5&)9*)3#.&$$&)#$%4"#"*"82&)$06&,#./0+,0"1(;#<%0+�$#455&4)&,#$%4$#(*3&# do, it also became clear that at least 25% of the buildings studied were +&((#&9620&"$#$%4"#$%&0)#"*"82&)$06&,#2*/"$&)54)$(;#D*#2*))&+4$0*"#'4(# found between the number of LEED energy points and the overall per formance of the building. Nor was there strong statistical evidence to show anything more than an average 10% improvement on the current norm. Consequently, in the last ten years, LEED’s exponential growth, the actual progress of the North American building industry in sustainability has been relatively small. According to statistics from the Green Build !" #$%&'()*"+,"-,."/(01202*"3,."4256*"4*"78"9::7;1$562<$=" ing Market and Impact Report, a total of 8 million tons of CO2 savings >?2@=20A&"&(B$"$0$5ACD"E$&*">?6"FG?>@2&'$="20"Energy per year are achieved due to LEED buildings. This is equal to less than and Buildings*"H!*"IJK*"GG,"JLM;LNO*"7PQR"!N,!N!STU, $0>?2@=,VNNL,NW,N!H"85"20"6'$"Q06$50$6R"'66GRTT%%%,051; 0.003% of the total building contribution to CO2 annually in the U.S. This 1051,A1,1(T8>UT251T=81TG?>&T0511O!!HV,G=X, K035)*>&3&"$L#0"#&9620&"27#0(#94)#$**#(34++#$*#4,,)&((#$%%4++&"1&(# SUSTAINABILITY BEYOND LEED: INTEGRATING PERFORMATIVE DELIGHT IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

ahead. Yet LEED is still recognized as the best available standard for green ./0+,0"1#2&)$0624$0*";#?%0(#545&)#0(#*"+7# one of many studies with varied con clusions on the effectiveness of LEED, which, in sum, lead us to ask why the massive popularity of LEED is not trans lating into more meaningful performance improvements. The largest factor for the underper formance of LEED seems to be the check list nature of the standard versus setting measurable performance goals. In essence, by modeling the energy consumption dur ing the design process, LEED buildings are not required to prove that the build ings meet the goals postconstruction. Yet all buildings come with people, and people are unpredictable. If the building does not consider how people will act in a space and how the space can adapt to their needs, the actual energy costs can greatly exceed the modeled assumptions. Another drawback of the system 0(#$%4$#0$#0(#"*$#4(#2+034$&8(5&2062#4(#0$# (%*/+,#.&;#J+$%*/1%#2+034$&8(5&2062# energy modeling is required to achieve LEED standards, rarely is this modeling done until after the design development stage. Consequently, climate is rarely considered in the early design process. <%&"#7*/#2*"(0,&)#%*'#,099&)&"$#$)4,0 tional houses in Boston are from those built in New Mexico, it seems ludicrous that we now aim to design buildings in exactly the same way for both climates. <&#"&&,#$*#.&#,&>&+*50"1#$%)42$02&#*9# understanding how we can shape build ings in order to use the local wind condi tions for natural ventilation, or to optimize the use of daylight, or how we can orient and shape the building to take advantage of the sun and minimize cooling demand. 180 <&#(%*/+,#/(&#,40+7#%/30,0$7#4",#$&3 perature swings (when they exist) to help determine our overall cooling and heat ing strategies. This is just the surface of climateresponsive design, which provides the potential to minimize energy con sumption by maximizing the quality of the built environment at the same time. It will be impossible to get to the “Massive Change”2 necessary by expecting people to suffer. How can one prescriptive program account for the different climates and cultures that exist in the USA, let alone in the world?

THOMAS AUER, JOSHUA VANWYCK, ERIK OLSEN One of the natures of metricbased systems such as LEED is that they in !"#$%&%'"()#*+(,-.#$%/.0*"(!)12)#"#$34( As long as it is measurable, such systems 2"56)51($7"%5($.383(.91%5.0*+:(.**);%#<( $7"(.-$7)5%$%"3($)(;"%<7($7"(8"+(!)12) #"#$3(1)5"(7".&%*+4(="$($7"5"(.5"(.32"!$3( $7.$(.5"($))(9%6/!-*$($)(1".3-5"($7.$(.5"( 8"+("*"1"#$3($)(3-3$.%#.0*"(0-%*9%#<3( R 3-!7(.3(!)16)5$:(0".-$+(.#9(7.22%#"334( E >"5$%/!.$%)#3(!.#(0"(9.#<"5)-3(0"!.-3"( S )6($7"($"12$.$%)#($)(!7.3"(!5"9%$3(.3($7"( T 0-9<"$($%<7$"#3:($7"(25"33-5"(%#!5".3"3( R just to meet the standard, and results in U 3%12*+(!.2$-5%#<($7"(?*);@7.#<%#<(65-%$4A( C T B+(6)!-3%#<()#*+()#($7"(1"$5%!3:(;"(*)3"( U $7"(0%<<"5(2%!$-5":(5"9-!"()-5(!5".$%&%$+( R and forget to exercise the innovation that I 1.8"3(-3(-#%,-"4( N C(*"33(25"3!5%2$%&"(3+3$"1(0.3"9( G 3)*"*+()#(1".3-5.0*"(2"56)51.#!"(<).*3( ;)-*9(#.$-5.**+(0"(1-!7(1)5"(!)12*"D4( E)-*9(.(!)12*"D(3+3$"1(0"(.3(3-!!"33 6-*(.3(.(1)5"(3%12*":(25"3!5%2$%&"(3+3$"1F( The USGBC recognized all these issues .#9(%#$"<5.$"9(1.#+(1)5"(2"56)51.#!"@ based metrics in the current draft of LEED GHIG($7.#(%#(25"&%)-3(JKKL(3+3$"13(&"5 3%)#34(M7"(3"!)#9(2-0*%!(5"&%";(2"5%)9(6)5( $7%3(95.6$(7.3(N-3$("#9"94 M7"(#";(95.6$(%#!*-9"3(#";(!.$"<) 5%"3(6)5(?O#$"<5.$%&"(P5)!"33A(.#9(?P"56)5 1.#!"A($7.$(5",-%5"($%<7$"5();#"5("#<.<" (above) Manitoba Hydro Place, Winnipeg, designed 1"#$(.#9(6)51.*%'"($7"(5",-%5"1"#$(6)5(5"2)5$%#<("#"5<+(-3"(0.!8($)($7"( by KPMB. QRSB>(T25"&%)-3*+(.99"9(.9@7)!($)($7"("D%3$%#<(5.$%#<(3+3$"1U4(V.$"5%.*( (left) In the French school in Damascus the aim 2"56)51.#!"(<).*3(.5"(0.3"9()#(.(J%6"@>+!*"@C33"331"#$(TJ>CU4(V.#+()6( was to avoid any mechanical cooling and ventila- $7"(!)11)#(!5%$%!%313()6(JKKL(.5"(.995"33"9:(5"25"3"#$%#<(.(1.N)5(.#9( tion within a hot desert climate. During daytime solar chimneys draw outside intake air naturally 05.&"(3$"2(6)5;.594 from irrigated and shaded courtyards through min- There is no doubt that the metrics considered by LEED are valuable; iature earthducts into the individual classrooms. During nighttime the thermal mass of the chimney 7);"&"5:($7"+(.5"(#)$(.**@%#!*-3%&"(.#9(9)(#)$(5"!)<#%'"($7"(%#$.#<%0*"3( releases heat stored during the day and continues )6(%#$"<5.$%&"($7)-<7$($7.$(.5"("33"#$%.*(%#(3-3$.%#.0*"(0-%*9%#<(9"3%<#4( to draw air through the now open windows and the earthducts. Cool night air ﬂushes the classrooms, A building must be designed in a holistic and integrative manner that cooling down the thermal mass and providing radi- 5"!)<#%'"3(%#$"5.!$%)#3(0"$;""#($7"(9%66"5"#$(8"+(!)12)#"#$3()6(.(0-%*9 ant comfort for the following day. ing such as the local environment, the cultural context, the climate, the 181 ."3$7"$%!(.5!7%$"!$-5.*(,-.*%$%"3(.#9($7"(2)33%0*"(3+#"5<%"3(6)5("#"5<+:(.%5( .#9(;.$"5(%#3%9"(.#9()-$3%9"($7"(0-%*9%#<4(O<#)5%#<($7"(%#$.#<%0*"3(.#9( $7"(3+#"5<%"3:(;"(9"3%<#(0-%*9%#<3($7.$(.5"(%#3"#3%$%&"($)($7"(!*%1.$"(.#9( 2"56)51(0"*);($7"%5(2)$"#$%.*4(E"(!5".$"(0-%*9%#<3($7.$(.5"(65.<1"#$"94( E"(8#);($7.$(0-%*9%#<3(!.#(0"(1)5"($7.#($7"(3-1()6($7"%5(2.5$3:(25)&%9%#<( !)16)5$:(%#32%5%#<(7.22%#"33:(.#9(5"9-!%#<($7"%5("#&%5)#1"#$.*(%12.!$(6.5( 2 Bruce Mau with Jennifer Leonard and the Institute with 0"+)#9($7"(!-55"#$(*"&"*3()6(JKKL4(M7"(,-"3$%)#(%3(;7"$7"5(.(<"#"5%!(5.$ out Boundaries, © 2004 Phaidon Press Limited (ISBN 0 7148 4401 2). %#<(3+3$"1(!.#("#3-5"(.(<))9(0-%*9%#<4(E"(1-3$(5"!)<#%'"($7.$(JKKL(.#9( 3 Manitoba Hydro Place, Winnipeg, designed by KPMB, )$7"5(5.$%#<(3+3$"13(!.##)$(5"2*.!"(.(31.5$:(2.33%)#.$"(9"3%<#($".1W Toronto (Design Architect), Smith Carter, Winnipeg (Architect of Record), Prairie Architects Inc, Winnipeg E7"#(3"$$%#<(-2(.(65.1";)58(6)5($7"(9"3%<#(25)!"33()6(V.#%$)0.( (Advocate Architect), Crosier Kilgour, Winnipeg and X+95)(P*.!"3:($7"(9"3%<#($".1Y;7%!7(%#!*-9"9($7"(!*%"#$Y3)-<7$($)( Yolles, Toronto (Structural Engineer), Earthtech, Calgary/ Edmonton (MEP), PCL (Construction Manager); %9"#$%6+(;7.$(;)-*9(0"(#""9"9(6)5($7"(0-%*9%#<($)(0"(.($5-*+(3-3$.%#.0*"( Transsolar, Stuttgart (Climate Engineer). 0-%*9%#<4(Z"5+(".5*+(%#($7"(25)!"33:($7"(!*%"#$(9"!%9"9($7.$($7"+(*%8"9($7"( SUSTAINABILITY BEYOND LEED: INTEGRATING PERFORMATIVE DELIGHT IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

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Airﬂow diagram of Manitoba Hydro Place. Courtesy of Bryan Christie Design.

THOMAS AUER, JOSHUA VANWYCK, ERIK OLSEN components of the LEED system but wanted to go beyond those require ments. For this reason, we set the goal of energy performance 60% better than required by the local energy code (MNECB: Model National Energy M*, *)#N/0+,0"1(O;#J"#*962&#(542&#'*/+,#2*"(/3&#+&((#$%4"#PFF#:<%Q m2#5&)#7&4)#RST#:N$/Q(9O#2*354)&,#$*#$%/))&"$#.&($#5)42$02&#*9#TUF# :<%Q32#RVS#:N$/Q(9O#4",#$%/))&"$#"*)3#*9#WXE#:<%Q32#RPEY#:N$/Q(9O;# ?%&#,&(01"#$&43#,&>&+*5&,#4#2%4)$&)#'%02%#0,&"$06&,#6>)034)7#1*4+(# for the building design, which included a healthy and inspiring workplace &">0)*"3&"$-#&"&)17#&9620&"27-#@AAB-#(01"4$/))2%0$&2$/)",-#*9# R course, economics. The client and all team members signed this charter. E ?%+034$�"#<0""05&1#0"2+/,&(#$&35&)4$/)&(#)&42%0"1#8SEZM# S R8SPZ[O#0"#'0"$&)#4",#/5#$*#\SEZM#RXEZ[O-#5+/(#%01%#%/30,0$7#0"#(/33&);# T J.*/$#WFG#*9#$%&4)-#$&35&)4$/)&(#4)&#.&+*'#9)&&]0"1-#./$#<0""05&1# R also has more solar radiation than Milan, especially in wintertime. Studies U (%*'&,#$%4$#<0""05&1#0(#$%�,&4+#2+034$ *)#54((0>&#(*+4)#,&(01";#?%0(# C T climate, as well as other aspects such as daylight and natural ventilation, U were an integral part in the development of the building shape. There was R no predetermined building form, no napkin sketch—the shape is a result I of the integrated design process, considering all aspects in a holistic way N R'0$%*/$#4#,*134$02#9*2/(#*"#&"&)17#&9620&"27-#&0$%&)O; G

The building has been very successful and exceeded expectations:

– the measured energy consumption is about 65% below MNECB – the building reached the predicted energy goals after two years of an extended commissioning and monitoring phase – the building operates almost 40% of the time in natural ventilation mode – staff absenteeism, headache complaints and similar issues are reduced since Manitoba Hydro relocated from their previous facilities – occupants praise the exceptional air quality and daylight

As architects and engineers, we have to strive to design every project in such an integrated manner and achieve exceptional results, no matter the climate, program, budget or other constraints.

C ONCLUSION

!"#2*"2+/(0*"-#'&#)&2*1"0]&#$'*#,099&)&"$#34^*)#2%4++&"1&(_#6)($-#1)&&"0"1# the majority of new and existing buildings, and second, creating innova 183 tive buildings that become eyeopeners and examples for future innova $0*";#@AAB#5)*>0,&(#0">4+/4.+&#(/55*)$#9*)#$%)($#24$&1*)7-#'%&)&4(# the second category can only be achieved by reconsidering the design process. In their roles as advocates, designers must convince their clients of an integrated design approach based on mutually agreed design goals— '%&)&#@AAB#4",#*$%&)#2&)$0624$0*"#4)&#*"&#*9#(&>&)4+#1*4+(;#`4"0$*.4# Hydro is a great building, but could be questionable if moved to another location. Thus, it is not the building which can be copied, but the process. The integration of sustainability into architectural design is still in its infancy. Despite our complaints about the prescriptive nature of systems such as LEED, we need to admire the momentum created by LEED and *$%&)#($4",4),(;#<+(*#%4>&#$*#(&",#4,30)&#$%4$#@AAB#%4(#035)*>&,# thousands of buildings and therefore has helped to create better environ SUSTAINABILITY BEYOND LEED: INTEGRATING PERFORMATIVE DELIGHT IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

ments for people. However, rating systems for sustainability such as LEED can only evaluate what is measurable and must be based on the current stateoftheart building design. Therefore the system itself can not encourage architects and engineers to rethink building design in a way that would lead to the massive change necessary. Architects and en gineers are advocates for the client and in this role, it is our responsibil ity to inform clients in a way that triggers this level of change. Clients are concerned about the potential risk of innovation, but the need for change means there is now bigger risk in building an unsustainable 20th century dinosaur. Meanwhile, sustainability provides an incredible opportunity for building design. Suddenly there is a “new” design challenge that is inde pendent of the type or style of the building, but is entirely contentdriven.

At its core, integrative thinking is an art, not a formula or !"#$%&'()*'(!'*+!,*-.*/$""$0.1*%$2'&,."3*/%$)*4'!%'*'$*5,&4(6 —Roger Martin

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THOMAS AUER, JOSHUA VANWYCK, ERIK OLSEN